Strapi 4 officially reaches end-of-life (EOL) in April 2026; from that point on, security fixes will no longer be provided. For Portalworks customers still working with Strapi v4, this deadline is not just an organizational marker – it represents a fundamental security risk.
### What happened?
As of October 2025, no new bug-fix releases will be created for Strapi 4; only security releases will be provided until April 2026. The system is in a pure maintenance phase – new features are ruled out, and even critical bugs are no longer addressed. After April 2026, organizations expose themselves to security vulnerabilities, as newly discovered weaknesses will no longer be patched.
### Why does this matter?
This development is critical for production systems. After the EOL date, even security fixes are discontinued, which can leave projects on v4 vulnerable to exploits and compliance concerns. At the same time, community support is declining as most users move to v5. In a fast-moving security landscape, an unsupported version is an unacceptable risk.
### Technical and strategic implications
The migration to Strapi v5 brings substantial changes that require careful planning. Strapi 4 plugins are generally not directly compatible with Strapi 5; the good news is that most popular plugins have already released Strapi 5 updates.
Technically, developers must expect several breaking changes: a REST API with a flatter nesting structure, Document Service instead of Entity Service, new file upload requirements, Node 18+ required, and removed/renamed internal packages such as @strapi/utils and the helper plugin.
The good news: Strapi provides a CLI upgrade tool that automates many code changes, although you need to test and fix things manually after the automated process.
### Our expert position
Waiting until April 2026 is not an option. Companies should plan their migration immediately. August 2026 will be no different – by then, v4 will be unusable. Portalworks recommends a proactive strategy:
1. Audit: Identify all active v4 projects and their plugin dependencies.
2. Prioritization: Start with business-critical systems running in production environments.
3. Test phase: Use the automated migration tools, but define realistic test scenarios for your custom code and integrations.
4. Rollout plan: Make sure teams are trained and rollback scenarios are in place.
Strapi 5 receives all new security patches and bug fixes; running on v5 ensures a secure and stable foundation with timely updates from the Strapi team.
### Conclusion
The migration is not optional – it is urgently necessary. If you are ready, do not hesitate: the Strapi community has provided official resources, migration guides and a robust upgrade tool. It is an investment that pays off many times over.
